Tombstones Tell Stories to kick off ‘Voices of the Past’

Voices of the Past. Photo courtesy St. Joseph Museums — Voices of the Past. Photo courtesy St. Joseph Museum

The 2015 Voices of the Past program will tackle passion, love and heartbreak.

This year’s scheduled for the interpretive tours of Mount Mora Cemetery were announced earlier this week. They are set to take place on October 22 and 23.

Participants will stroll along the list Mausoleum Row while reconnecting with the past. They will get a chance to meet with legendary former citizens who step out of the shadows to share stories. This year’s characters will talk about their stories of love, passion and heartbreak.

The St. Joseph Museum said a tombstone ballad, with the original composition accompanied by guitar, will play for the audience. Among the stories include a long-time mystery – perhaps a love story known to only two – will be shared. A World War II era doctor will introduce royalty and share a tender story, as will a Civil War wife whose love for her husband is unmatched. A once prominent theologian will bring his little-known story to life and two love stories with shocking, tragic endings will be woven into the mix.

Participants will start their tour at the 1879 Wyeth-Tootle Mansion, 1100 Charles Street. Their visit to the Mansion will include traditional fall treats and the premier of the production Tombstones Tell Stories, which shows the way that tombstones give clues about the life of the deceased in some unusual and creative ways. Guests will then be swept away to Mount Mora Cemetery to meander along fire-lit Mausoleum Row, stopping at the cemetery’s most unique monuments. Visitors will hear from “residents” of the cemetery as well as “guests” as they take a walk along a lane in the “prettiest City of the Dead.”

Every year former St. Joseph, Mo. citizens come back to life during the Voices from the Past ghost tours. Vistors are guided down Mausoleum Row at Mount Mora Cemetery as they learn about the life and journey's of the "residents". (Photo courtesy St. Joseph Museum) — Every year former St. Joseph, Mo. citizens come back to life during the Voices from the Past ghost tours. Vistors are guided down Mausoleum Row at Mount Mora Cemetery as they learn about the life and journey’s of the “residents”. (Photo courtesy St. Joseph Museum)

“The tours are meant to educate about the fascinating history of St. Joseph and the people who built the city and saw so much change in their lifetimes. What some of them experienced was so long ago, and yet is still so easy to relate to,” said Suzanne Lehr, Research Associate of the St. Joseph Museums. “Mount Mora Cemetery is truly a historical and architectural treasure everyone can appreciate.”

Proceeds from “Voices of the Past” benefit the Mount Mora Restoration and Preservation Association and the education programming at the St. Joseph Museum.

“Voices of the Past” will be held Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23. Participants must be 14 years of age or older. Tours begin at the Wyeth-Tootle Mansion, 1100 Charles Street, St. Joseph, Missouri, at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($18 for Members of the St. Joseph Museum and Mount Mora Cemetery Association.) Space is limited. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available at the St. Joseph Museum, 3406 Frederick Avenue, or by calling 800-530-8866.